• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.221-234
• /
• 2020

The role of entrepreneurship has become important for the continuous growth (scale-up) of companies in a rapidly changing economic environment. However, research has focused mainly on business-oriented growth that emphasizes efficiency only. However, in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, people have become more important than corporate efficiency. In particular, there are few studies on SMEs. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the characteristics of human - centered organizational culture affects the business ecosystem and firm excellence of SMEs, and how business ecosystem and firm excellence affect the performance of corporations. Therefore, this study focuses on the empathy, enablement, empowerment, and engagement of the corporate culture characteristics of the enterprise and the effects of the independent variables on the business ecosystem and the flower excellence as the parameters and the business ecosystem and company excellence. The main research subjects are the causality analysis that examines the effects on the management performance. The results of the study are as follows. Empathy, enablement, empowerment, engagement have a significant impact on the business ecosystem. In addition, the engagement have a positive effect on firm excellence. The results of empirical studies on the causal relationship between business ecosystem, corporate competence, and company excellence and business performance show that business ecosystem has no statistically significant effect on business performance. Corporate excellence has a significant effect on business performance Respectively. In addition to the above findings, this study can suggest the following implications. First, it is an empirical study of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by utilizing people-oriented entrepreneurship in addition to existing research. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are expected to have lower perceptions of people-oriented management than large corporations or public institutions, but the analysis shows that people-centered entrepreneurship has a significant impact on the business ecosystem. Second, the research results of the serial multiple mediating effect analysis show that the higher the atmosphere of entrepreneurship in a company, the higher the atmosphere of entrepreneurship, and the parameters of business ecosystem and company excellence in the effect of people-oriented entrepreneurship on management performance. It is that the path through which people-oriented entrepreneurship influences management performance was verified by verifying the mediating effect by inputting. Lastly, it is hoped that research on people-oriented entrepreneurship in Korea's SMEs will be activated, providing a theoretical basis for transforming SMEs' business models into innovative types.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.142-154
• /
• 2002

Purpose : One of the most important adverse effects of long-term cyclosporine therapy is nephrotoxicity, the morphologic changes of which include interstitial fibrosis and arteriolar hyalinization. Recently, several authors have shown that osteopontin plays an important role in the development of interstitial fibrosis by acting as a macrophage chemoattractant and stimulating the production of $TGF-{\beta}$ in experimental cyclosporine nephrotoxicity. However, the relationship between osteopontin and $TGF-{\beta}$ in humans has not been clearly documented so far. We studied the expression of osteopontin and $TGF-{\beta}$ in children with minimal change nephrotic syndrome treated with cyclosporine to demonstrate whether there is a relationship between cyclosporine toxicity and osteopontin expression as previously shown in animal models. Materials and methods : Nineteen children (15 males and 4 females) were the subject of this study. Renal biopsies had been performed before and after the cyclosporine therapy (mean duration: 15.9 months). In 5 patients, additional biopsies were performed after completing the cyclosporine treatment (mean; 26 months). The expressions of osteopontin and $TGF-{\beta}$ were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in the glomeruli and tubulointerstitium. Results : Osteopontin expression was significantly increased in the glomerular mesangium and tubules after cyclosporine treatment. But there was no statistically significant increase of $TGF-{\beta}$ in the interstitium. There was no significant increase in tubular osteopontin and interstitial $TGF-{\beta}$ expression in those cases developing interstitial fibrosis after cyclosporine treatment compared with cases those not developing interstitial fibrosis. No significant changes in osteopontin or $TGF-{\beta}$ expression were observed in subsequent 5 biopsy samples after discontinuation of cyclosporine compared with the first follow up biopsies. Conclusion : These results suggest that osteopontin is a nonspecific marker of renal injury rather than a mediator of interstitial fibrosis in cyclosporine nephrotoxicity of human.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.66 no.3
• /
• pp.178-185
• /
• 2009

Background: Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major catechin in green tea, and has shown antiproliferative, antiangiogenic, antimetastatic and cell cycle pertubation activity in various tumor models. Hypoxia can be induced because angiogenesis is insufficient for highly proliferating cancer. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1$\alpha$ (HIF-1$\alpha$) and its downstream target, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), are important for angiogenesis, tumor growth and metastasis. The aim of this study was to determine how hypoxia could cause changes in the cellular phenomena and microenvironment in a non-small cell culture system and to examine the effects of EGCG on a HIF-1$\alpha$ and VEGF in A549 cell line. Methods: A549 cells, a non-small cell lung cancer cell line, were cultured with DMEM and 10% fetal bovine serum. A decrease in oxygen tension was induced using a hypoxia microchamber and a $CO_2-N_2$ gas mixture. Gas analysis and a MTT assay were performed. The A549 cells were treated with EGCG (0, 12.5, 25, 50 ${\mu}mol/L$), and then examined by real-time-PCR analysis of HIF-1$\alpha$, VEGF, and $\beta$-actin mRNA. Results: Hypoxia reduced the proliferation of A549 cells from normoxic conditions. EGCG inhibited HIF-1$\alpha$ transcription in A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Compared to HIF-1$\alpha$, VEGF was not inhibited by EGCG. Conclusion: HIF-1$\alpha$ can be inhibited by EGCG. This suggests that targeting HIF-1$\alpha$ with a EGCG treatment may have therapeutic potential in non-small cell lung cancers.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.97-122
• /
• 2007

Conventional networking and telecommunications infrastructure characterized by wires, fixed location, and inflexibility is giving way to mobile technologies. Numerous research reports point to the ultimate domination of wireless communication. With the increasing prevalence of advanced cell-phones, various mobile data services (hereafter MDS) are gaining popularity. Although cellular networks were originally introduced for voice communications, statistics indicate that data services are replacing the matured voice service as the growth engine for telecom service providers. For example, SK Telecom, the Korea's largest mobile service provider, reported that 25.6% of revenue and 28.5% of profit came from MDS in 2006 and the share is growing. Statistics also indicate that, in 2006, the average revenue per user (ARPU) for voice didn't change but MDS grew seven percents from the previous year, further highlighting its growth potential. MDS is defined "as an assortment of digital data services that can be accessed using a mobile device over a wide geographic area." A variety of MDS have been deployed, with a few reaching the status of killer applications. Many of them need to access the Internet through the cellular-phone infrastructure. In the past, when the cellular network didn't have acceptable bandwidth for data services, SMS (short messaging service) dominated MDS. Now, Internet-ready, next-generation cell-phones are driving rich digital data services into the fabric of everyday life, These include news on various topics, Internet search, mapping and location-based information, mobile banking and gaming, downloading (i.e., screen savers), multimedia streaming, and various communication services (i.e., email, short messaging, messenger, and chaffing). The huge economic stake MDS has on its stakeholders warrants focused research to understand associated dynamics behind its adoption. Lyytinen and Yoo(2002) pointed out the limitation of traditional adoption models in explaining the rapid diffusion of innovations such as P2P or mobile services. Also, despite the increasing popularity of MDS, unexpected drop in its usage is observed among some people. Intrigued by these observations, an exploratory study was conducted to examine decision factors of MDS usage. Data analysis revealed that the increase and decrease of MDS use was influenced by different forces. The findings of the exploratory study triggered our confirmatory research effort to validate the uni-directionality of studied factors in affecting MDS usage. This differs from extant studies of IS/IT adoption that are largely grounded on the assumption of bi-directionality of explanatory variables in determining the level of dependent variables (i.e., user satisfaction, service usage). The research goal is, therefore, to examine if increase and decrease in the usage of MDS are explained by two separate groups of variables pertaining to information quality and system quality. For this, we investigate following research questions: (1) Does the information quality of MDS increase service usage?; (2) Does the system quality of MDS decrease service usage?; and (3) Does user motivation for subscribing MDS moderate the effect information and system quality have on service usage? The research questions and subsequent analysis are grounded on the two factor theory pioneered by Hertzberg et al(1959). To answer the research questions, in the first, an exploratory study based on 378 survey responses was conducted to learn about important decision factors of MDS usage. It revealed discrepancy between the influencing forces of usage increase and those of usage decrease. Based on the findings from the exploratory study and the two-factor theory, we postulated information quality as the motivator and system quality as the de-motivator (or hygiene) of MDS. Then, a confirmative study was undertaken on their respective role in encouraging and discouraging the usage of mobile data service.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.215-231
• /
• 2020

Forest landscape models (FLMs) can be used to investigate the complex interactions of various ecological processes and patterns, which makes them useful tools to evaluate how environmental and anthropogenic variables can influence forest ecosystems. However, due to the large spatio-temporal scales in FLMs studies, parameterization and validation can be extremely challenging when applying to new study areas. To address this issue, we focused on the parameterization and application of a spatially explicit forest landscape model, LANDIS-II, to Mt. Gyebang, South Korea, with the use of the National Forest Inventory (NFI) and long-term ecological research (LTER) site data. In this study, we present the followings for the biomass succession extension of LANDIS-II: 1) species-specific and spatial parameters estimation for the biomass succession extension of LANDIS-II, 2) calibration, and 3) application and validation for Mt. Gyebang. For the biomass succession extension, we selected 14 tree species, and parameterized ecoregion map, initial community map, species growth characteristics. We produced ecoregion map using elevation, aspect, and topographic wetness index based on digital elevation model. Initial community map was produced based on NFI and sub-alpine survey data. Tree species growth parameters, such as aboveground net primary production and maximum aboveground biomass, were estimated from PnET-II model based on species physiological factors and environmental variables. Literature data were used to estimate species physiological factors, such as FolN, SLWmax, HalfSat, growing temperature, and shade tolerance. For calibration and validation purposes, we compared species-specific aboveground biomass of model outputs and NFI and sub-alpine survey data and calculated coefficient of determination (R²) and root mean square error (RMSE). The final model performed very well, with 0. 98 R² and 8. 9 RMSE. This study can serve as a foundation for the use of FLMs to other applications such as comparing alternative forest management scenarios and natural disturbance effects.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.77-90
• /
• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this review Is to provide an update on novel radiation treatments for head and neck cancer Recent Findings: Despite the remarkable advances In chemotherapy and radiotherapy techniques, the management of advanced head and neck cancer remains challenging. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) Is an appealing target for novel therapies In head and neck cancer because not only EGFR activation stimulates many important signaling pathways associated with cancer development and progression, and importantly, resistance to radiation. Furthermore, EGFR overexpression Is known to be portended for a worse outcome in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. Two categories of compounds designed to abrogate EGFR signaling, such as monoclonal antibodies (Cetuxlmab) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ZD1839 and 051-774) have been assessed and have been most extensively studied In preclinical models and clinical trials. Additional TKIs In clinical trials include a reversible agent, Cl-1033, which blocks activation of all erbB receptors. Encouraging preclinical data for head and neck cancers resulted In rapid translation Into the clinic. Results from Initial clinical trials show rather surprisingly that only minority of patients benefited from EGFR inhibition as monotherapy or In combination with chemotherapy. In this review, we begin with a brief summary of erbB- mediated signal transduction. Subsequently, we present data on prognostic-predictive value of erbB receptor expression in HNC followed by preclinlcal and clinical data on the role of EGFR antagonists alone or in combination with radiation In the treatment of HNC. Finally, we discuss the emerging thoughts on resistance to EGFR biockade and efforts In the development of multiple-targeted therapy for combination with chemotherapy or radiation. Current challenges for investigators are to determine (1 ) who will benefit from targeted agents and which agents are most appropriate to combine with radiation and/or chemotherapy, (2) how to sequence these agents with radiation and/or cytotoxlc compounds, (3) reliable markers for patient selection and verification of effective blockade of signaling in vivo, and (4) mechanisms behind intrinsic or acquired resistance to targeted agents to facilitate rational development of multi-targeted therapy, Other molecuiar-targeted approaches In head and neck cancer were briefly described, Including angloenesis Inhibitors, farnesyl transferase inhibitors, cell cycle regulators, and gene therapy Summary: Novel targeted theraples are highly appealing in advanced head and neck cancer, and the most premising strategy to use them Is a matter of intense Investigation.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.133-149
• /
• 2014

One of the main purposes of universities is to create new intellectual resources that will increase social values. These intellectual resources include academic research papers, lecture notes, patents, and creative ideas produced by both professors and students. However, intellectual resources in universities are often not distributed to the actual users or companies; and moreover, they are not even systematically being managed inside of the universities. Therefore, it is almost impossible for companies to access the knowledge created by university students and professors to utilize them. Thus, the current level of knowledge sharing between universities and industries are very low. This causes a great extravagant with high-quality intellectual and human resources, and it leads to quite an amount of social loss in the modern society. In the 21st century, the creative ideas are the key growth powers for many industries. Many of the globally leading companies such as Fedex, Dell, and Facebook have established their business models based on the innovative ideas created by university students in undergraduate courses. This indicates that the unconventional ideas from young generations can create new growth power for companies and immensely increase social values. Therefore, this paper suggests of a new platform for intellectual properties distribution with university-industry cooperation. The suggested platform distributes intellectual resources of universities to industries. This platform has following characteristics. First, it distributes not only the intellectual resources, but also the human resources associated with the knowledge. Second, it diversifies the types of compensation for utilizing the intellectual properties, which are beneficial for both the university students and companies. For example, it extends the conventional monetary rewards to non-monetary rewards such as influencing on the participating internship programs or job interviews. Third, it suggests of a new knowledge map based on the relationships between key words, so that the various types of intellectual properties can be searched efficiently. In order to design the system platform, we surveyed 120 potential users to obtain the system requirements. First, 50 university students and 30 professors in humanities and social sciences departments were surveyed. We sent queries on what types of intellectual resources they produce per year, how many intellectual resources they produce, if they are willing to distribute their intellectual properties to the industries, and what types of compensations they expect in returns. Secondly, 40 entrepreneurs were surveyed, who are potential consumers of the intellectual properties of universities. We sent queries on what types of intellectual resources they want, what types of compensations they are willing to provide in returns, and what are the main factors they considered to be important when searching for the intellectual properties. The implications of this survey are as follows. First, entrepreneurs are willing to utilize intellectual properties created by both professors and students. They are more interested in creative ideas in universities rather than the academic papers or educational class materials. Second, non-monetary rewards, such as participating internship program or job interview, can be the appropriate types of compensations to replace monetary rewards. The results of the survey showed that majority of the university students were willing to provide their intellectual properties without any monetary rewards to earn the industrial networks with companies. Also, the entrepreneurs were willing to provide non-monetary compensation and hoped to have networks with university students for recruiting. Thus, the non-monetary rewards are mutually beneficial for both sides. Thirdly, classifying intellectual resources of universities based on the academic areas are inappropriate for efficient searching. Also, the various types of intellectual resources cannot be categorized into one standard. This paper suggests of a new platform for the distribution of intellectual materials and human resources, with university-industry cooperation based on these survey results. The suggested platform contains the four major components such as knowledge schema, knowledge map, system interface, and GUI (Graphic User Interface), and it presents the overall system architecture.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.52 no.spc2
• /
• pp.811-822
• /
• 2019

Environmental flows in the downstream sections of Yongdam Dam, Wonju Stream Dam, and Hongcheon River were estimated with selected target fish species such as Nigra for the site of Yongdam Dam, Splendidus for the site of Wonju Stream Dam, and Signifer for the site of Hongcheon River by considering endangered and domestic species. Physical habitat analysis was performed to estimate environmental flows for the study sites by applying the Physical Habitat Simulation (PHABSIM) and RIVER2D which combined hydraulic and habitat models. Based on the monitored data for ecological environment, the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) for the target species was estimated by applying the Instream Flow and Aquatic Systems Group (IFASG). In particular, based on the result of fish monitoring, the HSI for each stage of the growth for target species was analyzed. As a result, the Weighted Usable Area (WUA) was maximized at $4.9m^3/s$ of flow discharge during spawning, $5.8m^3/s$ during the period of juvenile, and $8.9m^3/s$ during the adult fish season at the downstream section of Yongdam Dam. The result of the Wonju Stream Dam showed an optimal environmental flow of $0.4m^3/s$, $1.0m^3/s$, and $1.5m^3/s$ during the period of spawning, juvenile, and adult. The habitat analysis for the site of Hongcheon River, which is a non-regulated stream, produced an optimum environmental flow of $5m^3/s$ in the spawning period, $4m^3/s$ in the juvenile stage and $6m^3/s$ in the adult stage.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.287-316
• /
• 2023

As global energy crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have emerged as social issues, there is a growing demand for companies to move away from profit-centric business models and embrace sustainable management that balances environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. ESG activities of companies vary across industries, and industry-specific weights are applied in ESG evaluations. Therefore, it is important to develop strategic management approaches that reflect the characteristics of each industry and the importance of each ESG factor. Additionally, with the stance of strengthened focus on ESG disclosures, specific guidelines are needed to identify and report on sustainable management activities of domestic companies. To understand corporate sustainability strategies, analyzing ESG reports and news articles by industry can help identify strategic characteristics in specific industries. However, each company has its own unique strategies and report structures, making it difficult to grasp detailed trends or action items. In our study, we analyzed ESG reports (2019-2021) and news articles (2019-2022) of six companies in the 'Finance,' 'Manufacturing,' and 'IT' sectors to examine the sustainability strategies of leading domestic ESG companies. Text mining techniques such as keyword frequency analysis and topic modeling were applied to identify industry-specific, ESG element-specific management strategies and issues. The analysis revealed that in the 'Finance' sector, customer-centric management strategies and efforts to promote an inclusive culture within and outside the company were prominent. Strategies addressing climate change, such as carbon neutrality and expanding green finance, were also emphasized. In the 'Manufacturing' sector, the focus was on creating sustainable communities through occupational health and safety issues, sustainable supply chain management, low-carbon technology development, and eco-friendly investments to achieve carbon neutrality. In the 'IT' sector, there was a tendency to focus on technological innovation and digital responsibility to enhance social value through technology. Furthermore, the key issues identified in the ESG factors were as follows: under the 'Environmental' element, issues such as greenhouse gas and carbon emission management, industry-specific eco-friendly activities, and green partnerships were identified. Under the 'Social' element, key issues included social contribution activities through stakeholder engagement, supporting the growth and coexistence of members and partner companies, and enhancing customer value through stable service provision. Under the 'Governance' element, key issues were identified as strengthening board independence through the appointment of outside directors, risk management and communication for sustainable growth, and establishing transparent governance structures. The exploration of the relationship between ESG disclosures in reports and ESG issues in news articles revealed that the sustainability strategies disclosed in reports were aligned with the issues related to ESG disclosed in news articles. However, there was a tendency to strengthen ESG activities for prevention and improvement after negative media coverage that could have a negative impact on corporate image. Additionally, environmental issues were mentioned more frequently in news articles compared to ESG reports, with environmental-related keywords being emphasized in the 'Finance' sector in the reports. Thus, ESG reports and news articles shared some similarities in content due to the sharing of information sources. However, the impact of media coverage influenced the emphasis on specific sustainability strategies, and the extent of mentioning environmental issues varied across documents. Based on our study, the following contributions were derived. From a practical perspective, companies need to consider their characteristics and establish sustainability strategies that align with their capabilities and situations. From an academic perspective, unlike previous studies on ESG strategies, we present a subdivided methodology through analysis considering the industry-specific characteristics of companies.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.65-76
• /
• 2023

In the field of technology entrepreneurship and startups, the development of Artificial Intelligence(AI) has emerged as a key topic for business model innovation. As a result, venture firms are making various efforts centered on AI to secure competitiveness(Kim & Geum, 2023). The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between the development of GenAI technology and the startup ecosystem by analyzing domestic news articles to identify trends in the technology startup field. Using BIG Kinds, this study examined the changes in GenAI-related news articles, major issues, and trends in Korean news articles from 1990 to August 10, 2023, focusing on the emergence of ChatGPT before and after, and visualized the relevance through network analysis and keyword visualization. The results of the study showed that the mention of GenAI gradually increased in the articles from 2017 to 2023. In particular, OpenAI's ChatGPT service based on GPT-3.5 was highlighted as a major issue, indicating the popularization of language model-based GenAI technologies such as OpenAI's DALL-E, Google's MusicLM, and VoyagerX's Vrew. This proves the usefulness of GenAI in various fields, and since the launch of ChatGPT, Korean companies have been actively developing Korean language models. Startups such as Ritten Technologies are also utilizing GenAI to expand their scope in the technology startup field. This study confirms the connection between GenAI technology and startup entrepreneurship activities, which suggests that it can support the construction of innovative business strategies, and is expected to continue to shape the development of GenAI technology and the growth of the startup ecosystem. Further research is needed to explore international trends, the utilization of various analysis methods, and the possibility of applying GenAI in the real world. These efforts are expected to contribute to the development of GenAI technology and the growth of the startup ecosystem.